This article chronicles a recent failed attempt to redevelop a golf course in Chestermere. Strong community intervention was key.
October 13, 2020, media gets word that the ownership of Chestermere's Lakeside Golf Club ownership has announced it's intention to close the golf course after 30 years, citing financial difficulties.
In March 2021, the Calgary Herald reports that Lakeside Golf Course is in discussions with Slokker Homes to replace the 18-hole golf course with a residential subdivision. Of note "the course currently pays $166,000 a year in property tax to the City of Chestermere, whereas the proposed redevelopment would boost city coffers by $3.9 million."
Public outcry and criticism by Chestermere residents is resounding. According to Rockyview Weekly, "in October 2020, residents launched a petition aimed at formalizing their opposition to the development and formed the Lakeside Greens Golf Course Preservation Society. Since then, the society has been vocally against the proposed project."
On June 24, 2021 the City of Chestermere closed its file on proposed Lakeside Golf Club redevelopment saying that the "golf course lands are specifically designated for parks and open space use in the Municipal Development Plan" and it would remain so. The City's CAO goes on to say that "the municipality has a duty to be fair and open to “all potential developers and to duly consider all suggestions brought forward” adding that the City’s planning staff members have met with Slokker Homes representatives and the golf course’s owners many times since the proposal was first announced in September 2020.
Update Feb 2022: On a brighter note, Covid-19 has golfers golfing again within an unprecedented resurgence of interest according to this article.
